4500 people in the country illegally Centre-right politicians want to deport more rigidly

Germany deports criminal foreigners back to Afghanistan. Syrian offenders are to follow. Now center-right politicians are calling for the federal government to take a different approach.

Figures from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) show that there are around 4,500 foreign nationals in Switzerland who should actually have to leave the country. Around 2,500 of them do not have a passport. The others come mainly from Algeria, Morocco, Eritrea, Iraq and Iran.

If no passport is available, the authorities begin their detective work: "It is not always possible to verify an identity beyond doubt or the identification process takes a very long time, depending on the quality of cooperation with the country of origin in question," writes the SEM in response to an inquiry from the SonntagsZeitung.

Another obstacle to deportation is the location of the country from which the person comes: on August 30, Germany deported criminal foreigners to Afghanistan for the first time in many years. 28 criminals were flown from Leipzig to Kabul. Syrian offenders are now also threatened with deportation back to their home country.

"... then the person has to bear the consequences"

The SEM has "taken note" of the new German course: Switzerland is also in contact with Damascus and Kabul. However, there is still a war in Syria, which makes repatriations impossible. In addition, the safety of the accompanying police officers must be ensured.

However, the situation is being constantly monitored, according to the SEM: "We will examine at the appropriate time how a readmission application can be submitted to the competent authorities," Beat Jans' office wrote in the SonntagsZeitung.

GLP National Councillor Martin Bäumle should like that. "If someone commits a serious crime, they have forfeited their right to stay in Switzerland and must bear the consequences of deportation," he says, with the proviso that there must be a "crime against life and limb".

International law must be interpreted in a more contemporary way: Bäumle believes that deportations to Syria and Afghanistan are possible. Marianne Binder, Member of the Council of States in the center, and her FDP colleague Petra Gössi expressed similar views. "In the case of foreign criminals, the federal government must take action and deport them," the Councillor of States told the SonntagsZeitung. "Switzerland urgently needs to defend its interests more vigorously and demand its rights."